X-Message-Number: 25179
From: 
Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 10:26:41 EST
Subject: Libet

Scott Badger cites a rerence to Libet's experiments purporting to show that 
consciousness of will or action is delayed--action first, will later. 

My own recollections dispute this, at least in some contexts. Basically, the 
experimental design was faulty. Probably many readers can remember their own 

experiences in "flash" situations--say a fight or a game where you  decide and
move with maximum quickness. Maybe ping-pong or boxing or handball or an 
electronic game, or putting on the brakes in a car when a crash threatens, or 
perhaps the recognition of a face or hearing a sound. Libet found a full half 

second of delay between "decision" and "will," but in these activities much less
than a half second is involved. We are conscious of our decisions or sensory 
inputs, but do not have time to SAY we are conscious or dwell on it--the 
consciousness is just a kind of background awareness. 

This is not to deny that sometimes "decisions" can be unconscious. That is 
certainly true; we may act atuomatically or in the groove of habit.  But it is 
also true that we often first consider, then decide, then act--sometimes very 
quickly.

Robert Ettinger


 Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"

[ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] 

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=25179